2017-09-25

2017 Picks: A Mixed Bag

At the end of 2016 I made a few predictions for 2017.

I thought Turkey and Mexico (TUR and EWW) would decline. I missed the broader emerging market trend and the extent to which the U.S. dollar would correct, although in Turkey's case, the rally is almost entirely driven by equities, not currency.

I thought FCG was a good speculation at the end of 2016 considering it was very cheap relative to the energy sector. I thought it would at least perform no worse than energy, but it underperformed again. Still, it did not hit a new relative low versus SPDR Energy (XLE). FCG's relative low was achieved in early 2016. I still like it as a relative bet on energy for anyone who is bullish on energy. I make no call on the overall energy sector; I currently own November puts on SPDR Energy Exploration & Production (XOP).

I was right on the solar (TAN) call. And the Chinese yuan.
In the near term, the Chinese yuan looks a little oversold. I expect a bit of a rally after it cracks 7, even better if it rallies before since it will catch the bears. A 3 percent rally takes USDCNY to about 6.75, a 5 percent rally to 6.60. The PBoC has given bears nice entry points before, hopefully they provide another one. I don't think USDCNY will be the best currency play.
It ran all the way to USDCNY 6.48 on September 8. On September 10, I wrote: Time to Short the Yuan? USDCNY hit 6.62 today.

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